Nurse credited with turning cancer Patient’s life around

Michiah Capen, RN

Published: July 21, 2016

A Patient recently diagnosed with cancer says he never would have made it through his stay at Sparrow Hospital without the quality, compassionate care he received from Nurse Michiah Capen.

Capen, a Registered Nurse in Sparrow’s Intermediate Medical Care-Pulmonary Unit, has been presented with the DAISY Award to honor her actions, going above and beyond to put the needs of her Patient first.

Fellow Nurse Kristen Seates nominated Capen and explained that the Patient was very depressed after his diagnosis and that Capen was straight with him, urging him to get out of bed and fight for his life.

“That doesn’t seem like much, but that’s exactly what I needed,” he said. “She was always patient and made time to sit and talk with me.”

DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, and the DAISY Award is a national program created in memory of J. Patrick Barnes died in 1999 of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura, or ITP at 33 years old. His family was overwhelmed by the skillful and amazingly compassionate Nurses that cared for Pat, and the DAISY Foundation and Award were created as an expression of their gratitude.

The DAISY Award is a way to recognize and make visible the contribution and value of Nurses wherever nursing is practiced.

Capen received a certificate, a DAISY pin to wear at work and beautiful serpentine stone sculpture carved by the artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. The sculpture depicts the embracing relationship Nurses have with their Patients.